8 Mainstream Marketing Campaigns That Cheekily Reference 4/20

With cannabis becoming more widely accepted as more states legalize some form of the plant, many mainstream companies are looking to cash in on the craze, even if it’s just with a winking nod. Since plenty of adult cannabis consumers are looking for delicious noms to munch on as fuel for their 4/20 festivities, various brands have pushed advertising that appeals to a certain cannabis-friendly demographic.

Totinos

Totinos wins the day with their no-holds-barred ad campaign aimed squarely at celebrating 4/20. Using the catchy hashtag #BetterWhenBaked, Totinos clearly is not afraid to take full advantage of their appeal to the canna-friendly crowd–and have fun with it!

Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is no stranger to banking on the long-held affinity of the cannabis consumer. With such tongue-in-cheek ice cream flavors as “Half Baked,” “Magic Brownies,” and “Phish Food,” the Vermont-based company has even flirted with the idea of releasing its own line of cannabis-infused ice cream. The brand’s marketing efforts, however, are slightly more covert.

This year, Ben & Jerry’s altered the ice cream offering only slightly: instead of a BRRR-ito, there’s a CHILL-aco instead. Using emojis in gif form, the ad follows the line of thinking from 4/20 to tacos to ice cream to the eventual revelation: CHILL-ACO!

You gotta get it quick, though, because “it’s only chilling out in Scoop Shops for a limited time, so get yours before this taco-tastic concoction goes up in a puff of smoke!

Denny’s

The all-American diner seems a bit wholesome to be joining the pot parade, but for the past several years, the brand’s Twitter account has paid homage to the cannabis holiday, with some fun, silly word play that’s just pot-pun-tastic.

The Body Shop

An unlikely candidate, The Body Shop encourages its customers to embrace the lighter side of hemp with a “Hemp Soap on a Rope” campaign to celebrate 4/20. The company has also been known to hold annual sales on 4/20, with all hemp products available at 4 for $20. This sale also applies online, so check it out!

Entirely Pets

We only condone cannabis use by pets under the supervision and advice of a trained veterinarian, but that’s not going to stop the social media managers of this pet product site from offering great deals on 4/20. Using adorable dogs to get their hilarious point across, the marketers behind Entirely Pets clearly recognize the power of cute animals in advertising.

Carl’s Jr.

Carl’s Jr. originated in Los Angeles in 1941 and watched the cannabis scene take off in California, so it’s no surprise that the burger train would try to capitalize on the canna-crowd. The company released an advertisement on Twitter geared at 4/20, and in 2012, employees wore uniforms with the tongue-in-cheek phrase “We Wake and Bake Every Morning.” And, although we have yet to see these delectable menu items on a Carl’s Jr. yet, the legend remains that once upon a time, a 420-friendly Carl’s Jr. menu was created. (And it looks delicious.)

Bonus Shout-Out: GrubHub

The food delivery service’s new marketing campaign is not specifically geared towards 4/20, but with a group of friends laughing and ordering tacos that they immediately dub as “dank,” it’s hard not to notice the correlation. Also, props for making us crave tacos “al pastorrrr.”